January 10, 2014

Many writers concern themselves with the opening lines of the story much more than the ending. But I always like to think about my ending far in advance. For instance, in Exposed, I had a strong last line in mind: It was their story now. This really fit the book to me and I knew it would be the very last line of the story way before I got to that actual scene. I’m always a little disappointed in a book where the first half feels well-developed, but the ending feels rushed. I do my best to really consider my endings. In The Guy From Glamour, I didn’t have a certain line in my mind, but I had an idea of what I wanted. There is an old short story called “The Gift of the Magi.”

In this story, the two main characters both plan to sell something important and use the money to buy a gift for the other. In The Guy From Glamour, I wanted Anthony and Dean to have an ending of love and sacrifice too. Without giving away spoilers, it was important to me that they really show their love for each other, and I knew several chapters ahead of the actual scene that this was the ending for them. If you do decide to read and finish the book, I would love to hear from you about what you thought of my “Magi” inspired ending.

Not every novel goes according to plan, of course. Sometimes I do reach an ending only to change it. One of the most famous examples of this is Charles Dickens. He had two different endings to Great Expectations, one with Pip and Estella ending up together and one with them separated. It is interesting to think of how vastly different these two ending are!

January 9, 2014

I do love my smut, so of course I’m going to share a ‘naughty’ excerpt of Cupcakes.

(And forgive me if I’m overusing the cover, but I adore it!)

Naughty Excerpt:

A moment later, Allen hung up and turned to him. “They’ll be about forty-five minutes.”

“So we have forty-five minutes to kill, eh? Whatever shall we do?” Bit grinned at Allen.

“Pool? TV?” Allen’s eyes were dancing.

“Pool has potential. Especially if I need you to show me a move or two.”

“You’re taller than me. You’ll have to show me.”

“As long as we’re snuggled up together, I’m not picky who’s showing who.”

Nodding, Allen moved to the cue rack and picked one out. Bit joined him, standing close. Allen’s tight, tiny ass pushed right up against his cock. Groaning, he pushed right back, let Allen feel him firm up for the man.

“Mmm. B. You’re warm.”

“Getting downright hot, actually.”

That happy little chuckle made him smile, and he slid his hand down to wrap around Allen’s hip.

“Are you going to show me how to play?” Allen asked.

“Mmm. I do believe I am.” Leaning down and over Allen’s shoulder, he rubbed their cheeks together. Allen felt like heaven underneath him, stretching and shifting. Wanting Allen to feel just as good, he let his free hand drift to rub Allen’s belly. “You smell good.”

“Do you think so? It’s just soap and shampoo.”

“And you.” Burying his nose in Allen’s neck, he breathed in deeply.

“Oh….” He felt Allen shiver, ass rocking back against him.

He nodded, licked the neck he’d been sniffing. “God, I want you, Allen.”

“Yes. Yes, please.” Allen nodded, head bobbing. He reached one of his hands down, sliding the zipper open.

After moving his hand long enough to let Allen undo the zipper and pop open his top button, Bit slid his hand into Allen’s underwear, moaning as his fingers connected with hot, silky flesh.

The touch got him a soft cry, the sound desperate and hungry. He was willing to bet no one but Allen had touched this flesh since his lover had died. Wrapped his fingers around Allen’s cock, Bit tugged it out into the air.

Thick, eager, Allen’s cock pushed along his palm. Moaning against Allen’s neck, he rubbed across the tip, revelling in the hot drop that pushed against his thumb and spread around the head. He could smell Allen now, musky and male, wanton.

Licking his way up Allen’s neck to his chin, Bit brought their lips together as his hand slowly worked the velvet flesh in his hand.

The pool cue clattered to the table, but he ignored it and began stroking Allen faster.

January 9, 2014

Cupcakes isn’t my first story published with Dreamspinner, although it is my first stand alone. I do have a short story in the Two Tickets to Paradise anthology called Something Different.

The anthology blurb: A vacation is exactly what these men need to find love in their lives. It may be about looking for a little fun, gaining a fresh perspective after a breakup, or building up the nerve to take the plunge. Whether they travel by plane, train, or automobile, none of them want to go it alone. They’re hoping romance will be the ticket to finding paradise in another man’s arms.

Something Different blurb: Tuscon Andrews is in Las Vegas to celebrate his birthday. Alone. He’s just questioning the wisdom of that move when he runs into Adam Brewster. He and Adam split a long time ago; they’d been good together, but never seemed to have the time for each other. The intervening years don’t seem to have dulled the passion between them any, has anything else changed or is this destined to be a holiday fling?

Tucson Andrews stepped out of the airport and winced at the wave of heat.

God, what had he been thinking, coming to Vegas in September? He should have just stayed in Denver. Or taken Rick and Bill up on the offer to come to their place in NapaValley. God knew Rick and Bill would have welcomed him for the week, welcomed him into their bed, into some games that would have left him aching and sore and well fucked.

But no. He wanted to gamble. He wanted to dance with the kids. He wanted to celebrate his thirty-fifth birthday in style. He wanted something different.

Tucson looked at the lack of cabs and groaned, then pondered just getting a shuttle to the Mirage. Really, though, that sounded even less fun than standing in line. Maybe he’d just call for a limo. Hell, maybe he’d just walk. It didn’t look that far, right?

He turned to say something, the words dying on his lips as The One That Got Away came into view like a frigging mirage.

Adam Brewster.

He’d be goddamned. His eyes went wide, and he almost lost the handle of his suitcase. Flashes of a life, back in New York, hit him deep in the gut. Two young guys, trying to get ahead, trying to see everything, taste everything, feel everything. Everything.

Adam’s brown eyes went wide as well, almost comically so. “Tuc?”

“Yeah. Yeah, hey. What’s up?” He knew he looked good, but he still sucked in his stomach, made himself taller.

God, Adam had aged well. The dark hair was cut near the man’s scalp now, but there didn’t look like there was a bit of gray in it. There were crinkles at Adam’s eyes when he smiled, but it made him look sexy, not old. The broad shoulders were shown off to advantage by the tight blue T-shirt.

“Vacation. You?”

“Yeah. Here to party.” His own hair was longer, now, his ass skinnier.

His lips parted. “The Mirage?” All the hotels on the strip and they were staying in the same one?

“Yeah—you gotta be heading in the same direction, I mean, it’s at the edge of the strip.” Adam’s smile began to fade when he didn’t answer right away. “If you don’t want to, that’s cool, man.”

“No. No, that’s fine. I’m just there too. I was shocked.” Stunned. A little buzzed from the Jack and Coke on the plane.

Adam nudged his arm. “Of all the gin joints in all the towns….”

Tucson chuckled, head ducking. God, he used to love Adam’s sense of humor. “Yeah, no shit. Come on, I’m melting out here.”

“I don’t know. It seems… almost nice.” He got a wink this time, and then Adam was taking charge, managing to hail down a cab and loading their bags into the trunk.

“Thanks.” He slid in and nodded to the cabbie. “We’re going to the Mirage, please.”

“So you’re on vacation. I hope this isn’t the first one since we split.”

“No. I try to go on one a year. I usually spend it visiting friends.” Having a long week of mind-blowing sex, a couple of scenes, long talks, and a lot of wine.

“What happened to your friends this year?” Adam winced as soon as the words were out of his mouth. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me.”

“I just…. They offered. I thought I’d come here. You remember Rick and Bill, right? It’s their fifteenth anniversary.” He didn’t want to interfere with that sort of celebration. Or worry about the long conversations about looking for a local man to give him what he needed, either.

Adam shot him a look that said a lot about remembering the types of things Rick and Bill were into, but he didn’t say anything. Still, Tucson could feel those brown eyes on him as they left the airport.

What was he supposed to say? He wanted that wild, crazy week in Vegas—booze and sex and dancing and insanity.

They were still sitting in silence when the cab turned, the strip opening up in front of them with the MGM Grand leading the call. They zoomed through garages and behind casinos.

“I’ll get the taxi—it’s your birthday after all.”

“You don’t have to, but thank you for the thought.” God, this was painful, this careful small talk.

They got out and headed in, got in line for the front desk. “So you’ll meet me in the bar for a drink later?” Adam asked, though it didn’t sound so much like a question as it did a statement.

“I… I will?” Had they agreed to that?

“Cool. See you at six.” Adam gave him a grin before going to the front desk clerk who was waving him over. God, the man had a good ass.

“At six….” He shook his head, headed to his own clerk. There were at least five bars per hotel. Hell, he’d never even see Adam again. No worries.

January 9, 2014

So I thought I’d go ahead and post a ‘nice’ excerpt for Cupcakes — in other words, a G rated one rather than an adult one — I’ll save that one for later in the evening.

In this excerpt, the boys wind up at a pub called The Crazy Squirrel. I have to admit that I do love naming pubs. Restaurants, not as much for some reason, but with a pub, I can have a little bit of fun with it because pubs do have some crazy names, don’t they? What’s the craziest/funniest/neatest actual pub name you’ve seen?

Excerpt (G rated):

Allen locked up the shop, running later than normal. The bonus sales were helpful for rent but hard on the schedule. Six o’clock. Lord. He had to be back in eleven hours…. Lord.

“Allen? Honey? What are you still doing at work?”

Jean-Luc, one of his regulars, was coming down Harris Street, smiling at him, and he had to swallow a groan. The man was dear and always came in, but he made Allen exhausted. Before he could answer, a truck with Banigan Construction on the side pulled up. He looked over, praying the cupcakes had gone over well.

The passenger’s window slid down and B called to him. “Hey, Allen. I wanted to thank you for the cupcakes. Josine was over the moon.”

“Oh, good.” He headed over eagerly. “I’m so glad.” Leaning close to the open window, he whispered, “Can you please talk to me for a minute?”

B glanced past him, nodded. “You need a lift? I’m going your way.”

“Oh, really? That would be fabulous. Late night, you know.” He mouthed “thank you,” then waved at Jean-Luc. “Have a great evening, honey!”

“But I wanted to ask you to….”

Allen hopped in the truck, pretending he hadn’t heard.

B pulled away from the sidewalk and headed down the road. “So where are we going?”

“Oh, you can just drop me off in a couple of blocks. I won’t put you out. I just… he’s exhausting,” Allen admitted.

“Well, how about you buy me a beer for my troubles?”

“I can do that. Totally. She liked the cupcakes?” He could so go for beer. In fact, he was eager to.

Allen clapped. “Oh, wonderful. I love to hear that.” He was building a clientele, a life that was all his, without Gary.

“I think I might have committed to a standing Friday order for the guys.” B grinned at him.

“Oh? Oh yeah? I love those—standing orders.”

“Good. We’ll do a dozen every Friday, then.” B pulled up a few spots down from the Crazy Squirrel pub. They were lucky to get a spot big enough for the truck. It felt really high in the cab, so different from a car.

“I. Yes. Yes, thank you.” Oh damn. Yay.

“Thank you. I’m going to have a happy crew.” B really did have the most amazing smile. Lighting up his whole face, it put crinkles in the corners of B’s eyes that made him all the more handsome.

“It’s nice to be able to plan.” He wasn’t a professional, after all. He was just a guy with a cupcake store.

“Cool.” B got out and came around to open his door for him.

How old-fashioned and dear. “Oh, thank you.” It was a long way down to the sidewalk.

“You’re welcome.” B’s hand might have lingered on his arm as he slid down. The last time anyone had been so solicitous, it had been Gary.

“Is your office close by?” Allen felt like flirting, like playing.

“It’s wherever the latest job is, which is very nearby at the moment. I live close enough to the shop, though, that it won’t be a hardship to pick up… cupcakes every week.” B’s gaze said he didn’t really mean cupcakes.

Allen blushed, head ducking. “Do you come to the Crazy Squirrel often?” The pub might have an odd name, but it was very typical in many ways. The exterior was brick with large windows looking into the interior; they were covered in the usual signs: one declaring the place open, a second flashing out the availability of local beer on tap, and a third advertising a big-name brewery.

“Most Fridays. I like to unwind with a beer and a burger.”

“I’m normally home by this time. I have early mornings.”

“I appreciate you coming out with me, then.” B led them inside, where wood and faux leather dominated, and took him over to a booth. Big enough for four, it wasn’t so large that it felt like they were lost in it.

“You did rescue me from Jean-Luc.” That man was like an energy vampire.

January 9, 2014

My novella Cupcakes came out yesterday — I’m very excited about this one. It’s my first Novella with Dreamspinner, it’s a lovely sweet story, and I love the cover!

Allen Jameson had it all—the perfect house, the perfect partner, the perfect life—until his partner, Gary, died suddenly, leaving him alone in the real world, where life isn’t so pretty and people make mistakes. Now Allen is the owner of Sweet ‘n’ Sassy Cupcake Shop, a cute boutique downtown, where he invents delicious flavors like strawberry and French meringue. Between working long hours and making special orders, Allen barely has time to think.

Then a hunky contractor walks into his shop looking for a treat. Allen and Byron Bannigan are total opposites, but they’re perfect together—salty and sweet like Allen’s signature peanut butter and chocolate ganache cupcakes. But as Allen struggles to juggle his business and his boyfriend, he learns he can only handle so much. He may have to choose between the cupcakes in his store and the cupcake in his bed.

January 8, 2014

This is Ashavan Doyon winding down the day of information about I Almost Let You, my brand new (out today!) release from Dreamspinner Press. It’s been great fun chatting with all of you, and I’ll be hanging around for about a little while yet. If you have any questions about the book or about my process or about the characters, I’m happy to answer them (barring spoilers, of course, though those questions can be asked through my webpage, info at the bottom of the post!).

One of the things I really enjoy about I Almost Let You is the way it starts. So as I wind down the release party, I want to leave you with an excerpt from the book:

Chapter 1

“PLEASE,” AARON said, looking a little desperate.

Chris kept his hand on the doorknob and glared at him. “I hate you,” he said, almost a snarl, and yanked open the door. “I’m done.” With that, the man strode out the door, pulling it shut with such force that Aaron thought for a moment the glass might shatter.

Aaron couldn’t move. He brought a hand to his mouth and desperately tried to force himself to run, to follow, to plead. His whole body shook, but he couldn’t move forward, only backward, step by step until his back hit a wall, and then he slid, bonelessly, to the floor. He gulped, his eyes fixed on the door. “Chris….”

But Chris was gone. He was gone. The reality sunk into Aaron and seeped slowly into his bones and pores until the raw emotion of it hit him, and he sobbed helplessly, pulling his knees to his chest and burying his head between them.

It took him over an hour to drag his phone out and press the numbers on the smooth screen that would call someone. He knew he had said something into it, screamed something desperate into the phone that couldn’t begin to describe what he felt. Then his phone was discarded carelessly on the floor, and he was screaming, and weeping, and hugging his knees, arms around them tight as if he were holding something precious.

It didn’t take long. There was the sound of a key in the lock, and then rapid footsteps, and then Aaron was wrapped in soft arms, pulling him into the warmth of a soft and ample bosom. Fingers stroked his hair. And he cried.

Thirteen years earlier

AARON WAS held. But he wasn’t held the way he wanted to be. Not by the person he wanted, needed to hold him. After a few moments, she eased away to look at him.

“Better?” she asked.

Aaron shook his head. “Chris hates me.”

“Again?” Jenny asked.

Aaron swatted at her arm half-heartedly. “Stop it,” he said. “I’m being serious.”

“Well, duh. Aaron, he’s a track star. Half the girls in the school are after him and his dad is freaking out that the poor guy isn’t dating. Except he is, honey. He’s dating you.”

“I don’t think he understood what that meant,” Aaron said, opening his eyes to look directly at Jenny. “Until today.”

“Hon, you’re worrying too much. Here’s the question, and it’s important. Before it hit him. Before he realized what it meant and how complicated his life was gonna get. Did he kiss back?”

Aaron shut his eyes and smiled at the memory. “Yeah. Yeah he did.”

“And how did that make you feel?”

“Like the world had stopped,” Aaron said. “Like it was just us. Forever.”

“Hon, not everyone is a walking pride parade. He’s still afraid, and his parents don’t know. They can’t. Hell, they hate that he even knows you, much less hangs out with you.” Jenny shook her head. “You’re lucky they haven’t put an end to that too.”

“So what do I do?” asked Aaron, leaning back to stare at the sky, his arms rigid, hands planted against the ground behind him.

“Convince him that you’re worth it.”

Aaron gulped. “What if I’m not?”

Jenny leveled a stare at him.

“What if I can’t convince him?”

“Then you try harder,” Jenny said.

Aaron stared at the sky. “It’s very beautiful out here,” he said.

Jenny set a hand reassuringly on his shoulder. “He’d like this. And you’d be alone.”

“Am I a horrible person to want to do it again? To want to do more?” asked Aaron.

“You’re a teenager,” Jenny said. “We’re supposed to be all hormones, remember?”

Aaron smiled. “I’m going to do it again, Jenny. I’m going to kiss him again.”

–

I hope this leaves you wanting to know more about Aaron and Chris. Remember, you can use coupon code: DoyonBlog (case sensitive) to get a 25% off discount at the Dreamspinner Press store to all my books. The code is good for one more day, so take advantage of it and pick up I Almost Let You or The King’s Mate today!

And the contest winner is: Trix!

Trix if you can let me know the email you use for the Dreamspinner Press store, I’ll have I Almost Let You added to your bookshelf. You can contact me through my website, here: http://ashavan.weebly.com/contact-ashavan.html or just reply in the comments.

Thank you all for chatting with me this evening! I’m always happy to talk to readers and can be reached at:

January 8, 2014

This is Ashavan Doyon again. I’m here talking today about I Almost Let You, my new release from Dreamspinner Press.

For me one of the most difficult parts of writing a story is deciding on the title. This is magnified by the fact that whenever I choose a title it manages to get mangled at some point in the editing process. I’m still haunted by enduring mistakes on the spelling of one of my titles for another publisher. And I Almost Let You managed to morph during editing to I Almost Left You. Twice. It’s a curse.

I try to do something new when I release a new story. Maybe adding Twitter. For I Almost Let You I decided to make a brief trailer.

In I Almost Let You, Chris documents their life together by scrapbooking. If you had to make one scrapbook page to represent you or your relationship, what would you feature on it? Let me know in the comments and I’ll select one response at random to receive a copy of I Almost Let You.

So, the promised give away! Entries accepted until 9 pm Eastern time on Jan 8, 2013. Note that the prize is provided through your Dreamspinner Press account, so you must have a Dreamspinner Press account (they’re free!).

January 8, 2014

This is Ashavan Doyon again, author of I Almost Let You, back with those promised musings on rejection.

Rejection stinks. When you write something, it’s a very personal thing. You’re creating something and hoping that it will resonate. And sometimes it does and when I hear about that, about someone enjoying my story, as an author it makes me feel incredible. Sometimes it doesn’t, and that’s okay. Not every character or story works for everyone. All I can do as an author is try to be authentic and true to my story and my characters.

I originally wrote I Almost Let You for an anthology. And the original story was nothing like what I ended up with.

The call for submissions prompted me to look at my own relationship and the struggles my husband and I have fought through. I wrote something I know is exquisitely beautiful. But it was also far too personal to share. With the deadline for the anthology coming quickly, I set aside what I’d written and tried to write something new. I read so many romances where the characters are meeting and falling in love, and that’s romance, yes, but it cuts out a wonderful part of the romance. It cuts out the romance that happens every day when you love someone.

I submitted and started working on something else. It’s something I learned when I used to write articles for pen and paper gaming–always have something else in process. It helps cushion you from the rejection.

Turns out that I needed it. I got the rejection. It stung rather bitterly. And that’s funny, because as rejections go, it was very mild. At the editor’s suggestion I delved back into the story, and expanded it to be a bit bigger, to speak to more than now. This time after the harrowing wait I got an acceptance. I hope the additions give some depth to the story. I hope they make the characters speak with more robust voice.

Rejections come in all shapes and sizes. College decisions, a refused date, a proposal gone awry. What are some of your memorable rejections?